Annual Gifts

Gifts that are made through the Annual Fund provide a critical component to our ability to address the needs of Lockport Township High School. Unrestricted funds offer us the flexibility to address needs as they arise without having to raise additional dollars for a specific purpose. However, annual gifts also may be restricted to support a specific project (i.e., technology) or program (i.e., teacher minigrants).

Case for the LTHS Annual Fund

LTHS is proud to say that we continue to educate our students with a high degree of proficiency as evidenced by a continuous escalation of student achievement. Further illustrating our proficiency, we have, for the past 11 years, worked within a balanced budget. However, to maintain a record as focused as this, the Board of Education recognized that we have to look to the future and mitigate challenges before they impede our success.

The Purpose of the Annual Fund

The purpose of the Annual Fund is to raise monies for projects, some planned and some unforeseen, that fall outside of the normal fiscal year budget. For example, teachers who have students qualify for an out-of-state competition and who need funding for airfare and lodging approach the Foundation regularly. Without the Foundation, this type of expense cannot be accommodated on short notice because it is not built into the budget. If funded properly, the Foundation can allot monies to such worthy causes. Or, if the library is in need of a new computer and cannot afford to wait until the next fiscal year, the Foundation can step in and provide that equipment. *Minigrants are also a great use of dollars obtained through the Annual Fund.

Lockport Township High School District 205 Improvement Fund

The money raised from the Annual Fund is held in the Lockport Township High School District 205 Improvement Fund. The Foundation Board can use unrestricted funds for a variety of projects. Monies that are donated to the Foundation in this manner help tremendously when unexpected expenses that are not budgeted for (i.e., funding a student trip or allowing a teacher to attend a special workshop) develop.

Endowment Fund

Fifteen percent of every dollar that comes into the Foundation via the Annual Fund is put into the Endowment fund. The purpose of this fund is simple: ensuring that future Porters benefit from supporters of the present. This type of account provides stability for organizations that plan to be successful in the future. The principal, or actual gift, is left alone for the life of the account, and only the investment income it produces actually is used to meet the future needs of LTHS. Endowments generally continue in perpetuity.

*Minigrants are cash or equipment awards given to teachers for special projects or for use in the classroom. The LTHS Foundation has given minigrants to:

• Help pay for a camera used in the Fine Arts Department,

• Sponsor a bus that took our Special Education Department students, teachers, and parents to Lambs Farm,

• Help defray the cost to a nationally recognized concussion prevention seminar, and

• Purchase a special calculator used by our Math Team and for the after-school tutoring program.

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